Want VR. Is my PC worth an upgrade?

[35mm]

Would appreciate some input on this, from all you PC-savvy.

My current PC, bought in 2012, has the following hardware:

CPU - INTEL Core i5 3450- 3.10GHz 6MB LGA 1155
MB - ASUS Chipset Intel H77 SK1155 4XDDR3/DVI mATX-P8H77-M
RAM - Dimm TRANSCEND Jetram 4GB DDR3 1600
HDD - 1TB 64MB Western Digital Sata 6GB/s
(I don't have a GPU, since I have never used my PCs for gaming before and never had the need for one)


However, I'm now thinking about building a PC for driving games (Assetto Corsa, Project Cars 2, etc.), especially if I can use the hardware above to save some money.
My goal is to drive exclusively in VR (using my PlayStation VR headset, to be more specific).

So, the main questions are:
- Is it worth adding (or even possible to add) a decent GPU to the above hardware and turn it into a VR machine?
- If not, should I just forget about it, or adding another thing or two would be enough (I'm sure more RAM would be needed anyway)?


Final notes:
- I know very little about PCs, so I apologize if I'm asking for something utterly ridiculous.
- Wouldn't want to spend more than €400 for now.


Thanks in advance.

 

[sesselpupser]

You can't connect a PSVR to a PC, sorry. I've heard the Rift is a bit easier to drive than a Vive so you could probably get away with a GTX 1060 but you'll most likely need a new PSU as well, and to be honest your CPU is a bit old too but I was using my Vive with a 4690k (a generation newer and not leaps and bounds better than yours) and it was alright. Yours is below the minimum spec for the Rift, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't work. You'd also probably want to double your RAM.

Frankly I'd say putting a new graphics card in that PC would be like putting track tyres on a shopping trolley but you might be ok... But there's no way you'd get the card, PSU and a Rift for 400 of any currency so it might all be moot anyway.

That said, if you like racing, having a PC is really worthwhile and if you already have a PC you can use as a base, maybe upgrade the graphics card and PSU (if you need to, I expect you probably will though) first then the rest later.

 

[35mm]

You can't connect a PSVR to a PC, sorry.

I thought people were using it OK, using Trinus or whatever. Has anything changed?


But anyway, I think you've answered my question... My biggest fear was exactly that the CPU would be too old for it, and that basically means a whole new PC. Not sure I want to spend money on a GPU just to give this a try.

 

[kikie]

I thought people were using it OK, using Trinus or whatever. Has anything changed?


But anyway, I think you've answered my question... My biggest fear was exactly that the CPU would be too old for it, and that basically means a whole new PC. Not sure I want to spend money on a GPU just to give this a try.

You can still use Trinus but it isn't freeware anymore. Maybe you could have a look at Revive as well (also not free I believe)?

 

[sesselpupser]

I thought people were using it OK, using Trinus or whatever. Has anything changed?


But anyway, I think you've answered my question... My biggest fear was exactly that the CPU would be too old for it, and that basically means a whole new PC. Not sure I want to spend money on a GPU just to give this a try.

Oh, I've never heard of Trinus, fair enough. I'm not sure that your CPU is too old because until this year, Intel didn't really bother improving their Core range for just under a decade - people are still using CPUs older than yours with modern games and they seem fine, although I don't know if they're using them with VR. You could try running this?

 

[35mm]

I'm not sure that your CPU is too old because until this year, Intel didn't really bother improving their Core range for just under a decade - people are still using CPUs older than yours with modern games and they seem fine, although I don't know if they're using them with VR. You could try running this?

Hum, now you gave me some hope... Definitely must properly look into this and give that test a try. Thanks. 👍


Is the GTX 1060 my best hope here?

EDIT:
Jesus, how many models of this are there...!?
Is my Mobo even compatible?

 

[kikie]

Yesterday, a compture store guy told me that the new nVidia Ampere cards will be released later this year, probably before this summer. Shouldn't you wait for these new graphics cards?

By then, the next gen. VR HMD's will probably be released as well.

 

[35mm]

Yesterday, a compture store guy told me that the new nVidia Ampere cards will be released later this year, probably before this summer. Shouldn't you wait for these new graphics cards?

By then, the next gen. VR HMD's will probably be released as well.

Pretty sure those new cards won't fit in my cheap budget.

 

[sesselpupser]

Is the GTX 1060 my best hope here?

EDIT:
Jesus, how many models of this are there...!?
Is my Mobo even compatible?

1. There are also AMD cards to consider but I don't know anything about them and would personally not recommend them, they're the budget option and generally speaking, whenever a certain subset of PC gamers have trouble with hardware compatibility with software, it's most often users with AMD graphics. You will probably find as many people who would disagree with that as those who would agree.

2. Loads, Nvidia sell reference designs and GPU chips to manufacturers like Asus, MSI, EVGA and so on. I personally have had two MSIs, an Asus and I currently have a Zotac, they're all pretty much the same though - just go with what you can afford and you'll get what you pay for, it's not as if there's a cheaper card that'll outperform a more expensive one or anything.

3. Yes, but your PSU might not. If you don't have a graphics card now it doesn't seem likely your PSU will have a 6-pin PCIe power cable, but you can get adaptors that can take a couple of 4-pin Molex hard drive power cables and give you a 6-pin PCIe. You'll also want about 400W output, but it's also worth pointing out that cheap PSUs do fudge the numbers and make up the wattage on the lower voltage rails... If you've got a Corsair, EVGA, Seasonic or whatever you're fine, if it's a brand you can't find on a reputable shop then you're probably not fine.

Pretty sure those new cards won't fit in my cheap budget.

You'd be surprised, the 1160/2060 (whatever they call it) would probably only be a fraction more expensive than the 1060 is now, but you'll probably find a good deal on the 1060 around the same time. Then again, cryptocurrency mining demand has pushed the prices of all graphics cards through the roof, but I think the peak has passed now.

 

[35mm]

Will have the thing about the PSU in mind and will try to learn more about mine.
Also, this upgrade would happen during the summer, so if i I'm lucky I might benefit from the new cards after all.


Really appreciate your help. 👍

 

[kikie]

The GTX1060 is still pretty expensive at the moment. Not really a budget card in my opinion (going by the current prices).

 

[sesselpupser]

The GTX1060 is still pretty expensive at the moment. Not really a budget card in my opinion (going by the current prices).

No, but it's the cheapest you'd really want to go for a VR-capable Nvidia card. As I said, I don't know anything about AMD, the last time I had a non-Nvidia card was when I had an ATI HD4870 back in 2009. I do, however, see people talking about x game not working properly on AMD cards; texture issues, frame rate instability, that sort of thing. That said, you can get as good or better performance for less with AMD.

 

[Rallywagon]

Honestly, i have a 1070 and wouldnt recommend less than that for VR. I also use an AMD 8350 that I am willing to bet would be out performed by your intel. Defintely check your PSU as was mentioned, and defintely get more ram, at least 16gigs. I strongly advice against going cheap to get into VR as that will kill the experience very fast for you. On a normal display occasional frame rate drops are annoying, but thats about it. With VR, a high refresh and frame rate needs to be maintained. Really no less than 90 FPS. Once you start dipping below that, you will begin to experience motion sickness.

 

[TenEightyOne]

My Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti works pretty well with a borrowed Oculus (on Elite Dangerous), I got the card new for about £90 on special offer, they're about £130 otherwise. Good budget choice imo, and single-screen performance is epic. My AMD is in the spares box now and hopefully won't ever come back into use.

 

[35mm]

My Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti works pretty well with a borrowed Oculus (on Elite Dangerous), I got the card new for about £90 on special offer, they're about £130 otherwise. Good budget choice imo, and single-screen performance is epic. My AMD is in the spares box now and hopefully won't ever come back into use.

Which CPU do you have?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Which CPU do you have?

AMD FX-4170 4.20GHz Quad. It's ooooold

 

[35mm]

AMD FX-4170 4.20GHz Quad. It's ooooold

Hum... Definitely more powerful than mine, but from 2012 as well.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. 👍

 

[Rallywagon]

Don't let the speed fool you. Old AMD procs are not nearly as optimized and the support architecture not nearly as powerful as the Intel counterparts. They also do not multithread.
It also should be noted, Elite Dangerous is really good for VR in that it doesn't need quite the same resources. I could play ED and War Thunder, as well as the Oculus demos on a Radeon R9 380 and my FX 8350 black. Game like Dirt Rally, Project Cars and any that really pushed the hardware, they all were completely unplayable. A 1050 might get you into VR, but the experience is going to be limited, double so, i believe, when the next gen headsets and GPU's hit end of year. Your 400 in my opinion, humble or otherwise, is better spent on at least a 1070 gtx and more RAM. VR is not really an area of gaming that you can buy thevliwest grade hardware and kinda make it by. It has very specific demands in regard the latency and refresh rate. Going cheap is going to limit you to the kids games and the odd title like ED.
Dont mean to step on your toes TenEightyOne, i just dont wanna 35mm with any false notions that a VR rig can really be skimped on. Its not like a normal system where settings in games can be dialed back to fit the need. Most games ive played in fact only allow for two different setting when in VR, low detail and high detail, or some syntax similar too.
With a 1070, 35mm, you will have no issues for a while, and be even better off for normal gaming. With a 1050, i dont think you will enjoy racing at all.

 

[35mm]

Don't let the speed fool you. Old AMD procs are not nearly as optimized and the support architecture not nearly as powerful as the Intel counterparts. They also do not multithread.
It also should be noted, Elite Dangerous is really good for VR in that it doesn't need quite the same resources. I could play ED and War Thunder, as well as the Oculus demos on a Radeon R9 380 and my FX 8350 black. Game like Dirt Rally, Project Cars and any that really pushed the hardware, they all were completely unplayable. A 1050 might get you into VR, but the experience is going to be limited, double so, i believe, when the next gen headsets and GPU'**** end of year. Your 400 in my opinion, humble or otherwise, is better spent on at least a 1070 htx and more RAM. VR is not really an area of gaming that you can buy thevliwest grade hardware and kinda make it by. It has very specific demands in regard the latency and refresh rate. Going cheap is going to limit you to the kids games and the odd title like ED.
Dont mean to step on your toes TenEightyOne, i just dont wanna 35mm with any false notions that a VR rig can really be skimped on. Its not like a normal system where settings in games can be dialed back to fit the need. Most games ive played in fact only allow for two different setting when in VR, low detail and high detail, or some syntax similar too.
With a 1070, 35mm, you will have no issues for a while, and be even better off for normal gaming. With a 1050, i dont think you will enjoy racing at all.

Will keep all that in mind, thank you.

 

[HuskyGT]

It's definitely an investment. But surely worth it, not only for VR.

You have to take in consideration your PSU as well. Even though I'm sure you might have something powerful enough, it is always good to double-check.

The GTX1050ti sound reasonable, but to ensure closer to proper experience, the 1060 would be the best option. Don't worry about the dozens of different models. They are all pretty much the same in terms of performance, with only variations in cooling, factory clock, oveclocking capabilities, RGB lighting and what not. Out of the box, none of these will perform any different unless you intend to overclock. There is a difference between the GTX1060 models though, and that is the 3gb and 6gb variants. For a platform so demanding as VR, the 6gb is the one to go with.

You also have to take a look at that Ram. In todays gaming scene, 8gb is becoming the bare minimum. Specially when going VR (which often asks for more). So also consider upgrading Ram. You have to make sure it is the same type of ram (DDR3 in your case, with the same clock speed), and also double check compatibility of your motherboard.

So yeah, you're looking at around $400 minimum (not counting the VR headset) if you plan on working with your current hardware. I would take a look at a pre-build gaming PC. Some pack the 6gb 1060, along with good DDR4 8gb ram and very decent processors. You can find a good one for around $700, which, granted, it is a lot more, but on the long run you got yourself a new PC that is more than capable of running pretty much any game.